The Boruca language (in Boruca: Brúnkajk;[2] also known as Bronka, Bronca, Brunca) is the native language of the Boruca people of Costa Rica. Boruca belongs to the Isthmian branch of the Chibchan languages. Though exact speaker numbers are uncertain, UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger has listed Boruca as "critically endangered".[2][3] It was spoken fluently by only five women in 1986, while 30 to 35 others spoke it non-fluently. The rest of the tribe's 1,000 members speak Spanish.
| Boruca | |
|---|---|
| Bronca | |
| Native to | Costa Rica |
| Ethnicity | one thousand Boruca people (1991)[1] |
Native speakers | 3 (2007)[1] |
Chibchan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | brn |
| Glottolog | boru1252 |
| ELP | Boruca |
Boruca is taught as a second language at the local primary school Escuela Doris Z. Stone. One can hear Bronka words and phrases mixed into Spanish conversations but it is extremely rare to hear prolonged exchanges in Bronka.
Grammar
editThe personal pronouns in Boruca (the ᵛ represents a glottal stop.)[4]
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | át | diᵛ / diᵛ rójc |
| 2nd | bá | biᵛ / biᵛ rójc |
| 3rd | i | i rójc / iᵛ rójc |
The numbers (the "n̈", "n" with the diaeresis "¨" on top may be unavailable in some fonts, it represents a slightly different sound from the normal n or ñ.)[5]
| Numbers | Bronka |
|---|---|
| 1 | éᵛxe, éᵛxi |
| 2 | búᵛc |
| 3 | man̈ |
| 4 | bájcan̈ |
| 5 | shishcán̈ |
| 6 | téshan |
| 7 | cúj, cújc |
| 8 | éjtan̈ |
| 9 | cújtan̈, éjcuj |
| 10 | téjcuj, cróshtan̈, búᵛc cúj |
Greetings
edit- ¿Ishójcre rában? 'What's up?'
- Morén, morén. 'Fine, well.'[6]
See also
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Boruca at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b Hanson, Seibert; E, Aroline (2019). "Reexamining the classification of an endangered language: The vitality of Brunca". Language Documentation & Conservation. 13: 384–400. ISSN 1934-5275.
- ^ UNESCO. “UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger”. 2017. http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/index.php.
- ^ Quesada Pacheco, Miguel Ángel (1995). Hablemos Boruca. (in Spanish and Boruca). San José, Costa Rica: Ministerio de Educación Pública. p. 33. ISBN 9977-60-114-3.
- ^ Quesada Pacheco, Miguel Ángel (1995). Hablemos boruca. (in Spanish and Boruca). San José, Costa Rica: Ministerio de Educación Pública. p. 82. ISBN 9977-60-114-3.
- ^ Maroto Rojas, Espíritu Santo (1999). "Palabras varias Saludos". Lengua o dialecto Boruca o Brunkajk. (in Spanish and Boruca). San José, Costa Rica: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica. p. 49. ISBN 9977-67-554-6.
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